One of the tougher fantasy football backfields to decide is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While many will be debating between Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell as the top option in fantasy, Greg Auman of Fox Sports weighed in with a strong case for Gainwell.
Auman noted that Zac Robinson has a chance to significantly improve the team’s efficiency in the red zone. Robinson tends to use his backs differently in the red zone, and that could lead to a prominent role near the end zone for the free-agent addition Gainwell.
“Red-zone TD rate? Atlanta ranked 9th out of 32 teams last year, Tampa Bay 23rd. Goal-to-go TD rate? Atlanta ranked 3rd last year, Tampa Bay 19th. The two offenses had nearly identical plays in the red zone — 128 for Bucs, 129 for Falcons — but Atlanta had 31 TDs, Tampa Bay 26,” Auman tweeted when discussing the potential impact of Robinson.
These are high-leverage areas that can be a huge difference on the scoreboard. Atlanta was better in nearly every aspect of this in 2025.
Auman went onto note that the Falcons would often pull their starting running back when they got closer to the end zone. With Irving being the starter, he could end up similar to Robinson. Gainwell would be similar to Allgeier.
“Robinson was also willing to specialize RB usage in the red zone, giving Tyler Allgeier (31) almost as many carries as Bijan Robinson (32). Allgeier had a higher average and two more rushing TDs in the red zone,” added Auman.
When asked how Gainwell would factor into these plans, Auman said: “I’d think prominently.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Could Have Prominent Role For Kenneth Gainwell
While this would be a new feature from Robinson and his offense, it would continue a trend that Irving has been on. Irving had 37 attempts inside the 20 in 17 games as a rookie. While he only played in 10 games the next year, he was down to 17 carries inside the 20. He is down from 2.1 to 1.7 carries.
He also went from 22 rushes inside the five to six. That is down from 1.3 attempts to 0.6. So, even when he was healthy, he was losing red zone work. Meanwhile, Gainwell had 21 rushes inside the 20-yard line and 16 rushes inside the ten last year. That led to five touchdowns.
He also had 15 targets inside the 20, with six being inside the ten. That led to two receiving touchdowns.
Gainwell is trusted and efficient in the red zone. Irving has been losing touches in the red zone. It is fair to think Gainwell will be the top red zone option.
Bucs are Betting Big on Gainwell
Gainwell had never topped 400 rushing yards or 300 receiving yards in his first four NFL seasons. However, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and set career highs across the board.
He added 537 yards on the ground and 486 through the air. Some of this was because their other running backs were not as healthy and Aaron Rodgers used him as a check-down to avoid taking hits.
Still, the Bucs seem to be buying his production. They signed him to a two-year, $14M deal. Most of the cap hit is tied to this year, and they could move on from him after the season. Still, Pittsburgh signed him for $1.8M the year prior. They are high on Gainwell.
Bucs $14M Addition Expected to Have ‘Prominent’ Role